Buckle



(No Model.)

D. A. GILBERT.

BUCKLE. No. 374,470. Patented Dec. 6, 1887.

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PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID ALBYRON GILBERT, OF' MORRISVILLE, VERMONT.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 374,470, dated December 6, 1887.

Application filed April 16,1887. Serial No. 235,053. (X0 model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, DAVID ALBrnoN GIL- BERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Morrisville, in the county of Lamoille and State of Vermont, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Buckles, of which the following is a speciiication.

My invention relates to improvements in buckles, referring especially to those ordinarily used on Suspenders; and it consists in a certain novel construction and arrangement of parts for service, fully set forth hereinafter, and claimed.

The object of my invention is to provide a buckle to which the end of the webbing of the suspender may be attached, so as not to take up as much of said webbing as is necessary when the end thereof is doubled around the `middlebar and sewed, the length usually taken up in the latter case being about or nearly one inch, this amounting to quite an item in calculating thelength oi'webbing for a great number of Suspenders.

A further object is to provide means whereby the length of the suspender may be adjusted more readily than with similar articles now in general use.

I attain these objects in the device illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis a front View of a portion ofa suspender provided with one of my improved buckles. Fig. 2 is a detail section of the same on the line :v x of Fig. 1, to show manner of attaching the webbing to the buckle. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the rear side of the buckle detached. Fig. 4 is a similar view showing an improved form of middle bar provided with small teeth to aid in holding the webbing in the buckle. Fig. 5 is a front view of the buckle as it appears immediately after being stamped 4out of the sheet and before the portion of the middle bar is bent rearwardly to secure the end of the webbing. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 2, with the buckle as shown in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar letters denote corresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the body of the buckle, oblong in general form, having the integral middle bar, B, which is formed with an integral free leaf, C, on the upper side, and eX- tending the entire length of the said middle bar. The said leaf C is adapted to be bent rearwardly and downwardly to form the groove or slot E, in which the end of the webbing is placed, after which the sides of the groove are driven close together to rmly clamp the end of the webbing.

As additional means of securing the webbing, I form notches b in the rear of middle bar, B, by striking said bar with a punch, thus forming points in the inner side of the groove,which enter the webbing and securely maintain it'in position. I also form the upper edge of the leaf C with a series of teeth or serrations, equivalent to the points b, which, when the leaf is doubled over on the webbing, are made to enter the fabric of the webbing, and thus firmly secure the end of the said webbing to the middle bar, B. This is clearly shown in Fig. 4, and may be depended upon to hold the webbing in the buckle without the aid of the dents or notches b, above mentioned, although the said dents would serve as an additional security. Y

D D represent triangular tongues,which are stamped in the upper bar of the buckle, with the points of said tongues down, and they are bent backward and then turned downward to resemble birds claws. The object of the said claws is, obviously, to engage in the webbing to hold the buckle at the proper point thereof to give the desired length of suspender, and, as the strain upon the said suspender is always upward and the points of the said claws are downward, it will be seen that there is no chance of the buckle slipping. To change the position of the buckle or alter the length of the suspender it is only necessary to raise the buckle slightly to disengage the said claws, and then allow the pull on the webbing to reengage them after Xing the buckle at the desired point.

It will be readily seen that this mode of securing the buckle at the desired point of the webbing is a much easier and quicker manner than with the generality of buckles now in use. The change is made by simply retracting the buckle slightly, drawing it along the webbing to the desired point, and releasing it, the pull on the 'webbing automatically engaging the teeth or claws therein.

The manner herein described of fastening icc the webbing to the buckle by clamping the extreme end thereof in the middle bar is a great saving of material, as in this way only about oneeighth of an inch is taken up,while in the old way nearly an inch is required. Thus the expense of webbing for suspen ders will be to a considerable extent reduced. Also, my entire buckle, including the middle bar, clamping-leaf thereon, and the engaging teeth or tongues, is stamped from a single sheet of metal, thus reducing to a great extent the cost of manufacture thereof, and rendering the construction of the buckle very simple, as there are no movable or detachable parts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, 1s f l. In a buckle, the middle bar having a leaf, C, provided with a serrated edge, said leaf being adapted to be bent over to cause the serrations to engage in the webbing to secure it to the buckle, substantially as described.

J2. A buckle having an integral middle bar, B, provided with an integral leaf, G, having a series of serrations on the upper edge, and adapted, when the leaf is bent over, to engage in the end of the strap or webbing to secure the buckle thereto, substantially as described.

8. The hereindescribed buckle, having the parallel upper and lower. bars, middle bar, B, and the integral leaf G, adapted to be bent over to clamp the end ofthe webbing, and the tongues D D on one of the said parallel bars, to engage in the said webbing, all of said metal, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Y' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.`

DAVID ALBYRON GILBERT.

i lVitnesses:

F. W. Monsn,

' ORLO CADY.

parts being struck up from a single sheet of 35 

